Tuesday, May 12, 2015

New craft bill law highlighted during ceremonial bill signing

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed the
craft beer bill again during a ceremonial signing at the state Capitol Monday.

Tomblin approved the bill (SB 273)
in March, which would help the state’s craft beer industry. The bill would
enable brewers to provide on premise samples, ease limits on growler sales, and
implement a gradual licensing fee system eliminating the current flat rate.

State craft brewers have been
thrilled about the passing of the bill, specifically Mountain State Brewing
Company in TuckerCounty.

The bill allows small companies to
sell their beer in growlers (a half gallon jug) to retailers.

The licensing structure stated that
a brewer would need about $3,000 in state license fees at any size brewery,
which made it difficult for smaller companies to keep up. The bill allows the
fees to be scaled back now, which makes it more affordable to obtain a license.

MountainState
has been around for 10 years, being one of the first four licensed breweries in
West Virginia.
They employ nearly 100 people at their three different locations. Currently,
there are about 11 licensed craft brewing companies in the state.